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Indians ink Zagurski to Minor League deal

Indians ink Zagurski to Minor League deal

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Zagurski's first Pirates K 0:29

5/27/13: Mike Zagurski sits down Avisail Garcia in the bottom of the sixth to earn his first strikeout as a member of the Pirates

By Jordan Bastian
/
MLB.com |

CLEVELAND -- The Indians added a layer of depth to their bullpen on Friday, signing left-hander Mike Zagurski to a Minor League contract. The deal includes an invitation to attend Spring Training with the big league club.

Zagurski joins right-handers Matt Capps and J.C. Ramirez as Cleveland's current crop of non-roster pitchers scheduled to be in camp with the club this spring. Left-handed relief was an issue last season for the American League Wild Card-winning Indians, so the team plans on taking a close look at Zagurski.

Over the course of his career, Zagurski has yet to see his success in the Minors translate to a strong showing in the Majors. That was the case again in 2013, when the lefty spent time with the Pirates, A's and Yankees organizations.

In 45 Minor League games in 2013 -- split between three Triple-A affiliates -- Zagurski posted an impressive rate of 14 strikeouts per nine innings and a 3.46 strikeout-to-walk ratio. The 30-year-old lefty fashioned a 3.04 ERA with 83 strikeouts against 24 walks in 53 1/3 innings. Zagurski limited right-handed batters to a .227 average and held lefties to a .215 mark.

Between stints with the Pirates and Yankees last season, Zagurski allowed 12 runs on 11 hits in just 6 1/3 innings of work. In parts of five seasons in the big leagues, he had a combined 7.05 ERA with 75 strikeouts and 46 walks in 75 1/3 innings during stops with the Phillies, D-backs, Pirates and Yankees.

Zagurski -- selected by Philadelphia in the 12th round of the 2005 First-Year Player Draft -- has a 3.16 ERA in 279 career Minor League games across eight years. Along the way, the lefty has fanned hitters at a rate of 11.4 strikeouts per nine innings in the Minors.